Berry-picking crate.



Patented .Iuna 4. I901;

" I C. D. WARREIL.

BERRY PIGKIN'G CRATE.

' (Application filed Dec. 22, 1900.) (No Model.)

mus ravens co. moYou-mu, WASHIN 7 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE n. WARREN, or DES MOINES, IOWA.

BERRY-PlCKlNG CRATE.

.ESZEEQLIEQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,429, dated June 4, 1901.

Application filed December 22, 1900. Serial No. 40,744. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE I). WARREN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Des Moines, Polkcounty, Iowa, 5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Berry-Picking Crates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for carrying and holding to berry-boxes during the operation of picking berries and depositing the same in said boxes. My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in myclaims, [5 and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the complete device. Fig. 2 is arear elevation of belt being broken away.

In the picking of berries from the vines on which they are grown it is desirable that the operator be permitted to use both hands and not be obliged to employone hand in carrying or steadying the receptacle into which the 2 5 picked berries are deposited. It also is desir-. able to provide means whereby the boxes of berries may be heapedup or filled to overfiowing without danger ofspilling or losing the upper layers of berries therefrom. In view of this I have constructed a crate comprising the end pieces 1O 11, to the lower margins of which are attached connecting and supporting bars or strips 12 13, which determine the length ofthe complete crate and serve as supports for the berry-boxes to be placed and carried in said crate. To the upper portions of the side margins of the end pieces 11 are attached connecting and retaining bars 14. 15, which serve as front and rear sides, 0 respectively, of the crate, connecting the end pieces and effectively .retaining the boxes placed in the crate against forward or rearward movement. The end pieces 10 11 of the crate are of materially greater height than the berry boxes to be employed therein, and, in connectionwith the side pieces 14: 15, serve as side boards or guards to prevent spilling or losing .of the berries when the boxes are filled to overflowing or in heaping measure. A 5': yoke 16 is formed of a single piece, of wire, and its ends are inturned and pivoted in holes in the central upper portions of the end the. device, the

pieces 10 11. The yoke l6 extends rearwardly from the points of pivoting to the end pieces 10 11 of the crate beyond the side piece 15 and is bent approximately at right angles and extends parallel with said side piece to the center thereof. At the center of the side piece 15 of the crate the body of the yoke 16 is twisted and bent downwardly at right angles to the trend of the side piece and is formed into a triangular loop of relatively large dimensions at the rear of the crate. A belt 17 is attached by one end to one of the corners of the yoke 16 and is provided at its other end with a snap-hook 18, adapted to be engaged with the opposite corner of the yoke after the belt is placed around the waist of the berry-picker. The belt 17 is provided with an adjusting-buckle 19, whereby it may be adjusted as to length and adapted to be worn by diderent persons. When the belt is attached, as shown in Fig. 1, and extended around the waist of the berry-picker and fitted snugly thereto, the triangular portion of the yoke 16 will rest against the abdomen of the berry-picker and maintain the arms of the yoke approximately at right angles to the trend of the pickers body. The crate being pivoted on the inturned end portions of the arms of the yoke and depending'therefrom it will swing within the yoke and maintain its equilibrium and vertical positioning regardless of inclined positions assumed by the berry-picker, thus providing against overturning the crate in the forward stooping of the'picker to reach the fruit on the vines.

It is desirable to provide means for limit ing and determining the movements of oscillation of the crate, and hence I have mounted clips 20 21 in the upper portions of the end pieces 10 11 immediately at the rear of the pivotal points of the yoke and crate. The clips 20 '21 are embedded or seated in the end pieces of the crate and extend outwardly therefrom across and loosely embracing the arms of the yoke 16, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus is the crate given a predetermined degree of play or oscillation relative to the yoke.

The crate may be made of any desired shape and reasonable size; but I have illustrated it as arranged to contain two of the ordinary cubical berry-boxes,that maybe placed roe side by side uponthe bars 12 13 and have their upper margins a little above and between the lower portions of the bars 14 15. When the boxes are filled, they may be lifted out ofthe crate and deposited in a shippingcrate or any other desired place.

I claim as my invention 7 1. The combination of the crate having, holes transversely of the centers of the upper portions of the ends thereof, the yoke having inturned endsinserted in the holes in the ends of the crate, which yoke extends rearwardly from the crate, crosses the rear face thereof, is twisted, extends downwardly and is formed into a loop parallel with the rear 7 lel with the rear face of the crate, clips mounted in the ends of the crate and embracing end portions of the yoke,whereby oscillation' of the crate on the inturned ends of the yoke is limited,and a belt attached to said yoke whereby the device may be secured and carried.

3. In a device of the class described, the crate comprising the end pieces 10, 11, the

bottom pieces 12, 13 connecting the end pieces and the side pieces 1t,15 connecting the end pieces, in combination with a yoke having inturned ends pivoted in the ends of the crate, which yoke extends rearwardly from the pivotal points, crosses the rear face of the crate and extends downwardly parallel therewith, clips mounted in the ends of the crate and embracing the rearwardly-extending portions of the yoke whereby oscillation of the crate relative to the yoke is limited, and a belt attached to said yoke whereby the device may be supported and carried. I

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this 20th day of December, 1899.

- CLARENCE D. WVARREN.

Witnesses:

S. 0. SWEET, O. B. ANDERSON. 

